Coil compacting and banding apparatus



March 3, 1970 w BO-EHM 3,498,212

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ATTORNEYS United States Patent US. Cl. 1007 12 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for compacting and banding a coil of wire or rod while suspended from a carrier, preferably a carrier of an overhead conveyor. A pair of fixtures are movable longitudinally of the coil axis from a clearance position relative to the coil carrier to an operative position adjacent the ends of the coil, and are locked against separating movement. Pressure pads mounted on one of the fixtures are movable into engagement with one end of the coil to compact the coil against the other fixture for the application of bands to the coil. Means are provided on the fixtures for locating the coil carrier relative thereto, and the coil is supported or cradled from below prior to the application of the compacting force. The apparatus is suitable for automatic operation.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention pertains to improvements in press type apparatus for compacting and handing annular coils of steel wire or rod, permitting this operation to be performed while the coil is suspended from a carrier of a conveyor.

Description of the prior art Various forms of apparatus have been proposed for performing compacting and banding operations on a wire or rod coil suspended from a conveyor carrier, in which the compacting and banding mechanism is mounted on a carriage movable with the conveyor as illustrated in US. Patents 2,901,966, 2,930,313, 3,118,367. Other forms of prior apparatus require a handling of the coil into and out of the apparatus for the compacting and handing operation as exemplified by US. Patent 3,129,658.

Obviously, apparatus of the first type has the disadvantage of the lost time required to return the carriage to initial position after each coil has been banded; while apparatus of the second type the disadvantage of the time and expense of handling and the likelihood that coils may be damaged or disarranged in handling, especially while being loaded into the apparatus prior to banding.

Another problem presented by the prior art is that of satsifactorily arranging, compacting and banding coils in a range of lengths, especially with apparatus of the first type where the operation is carried out with the coil suspended from a conveyor carrier.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The apparatus of the invention for compacting and banding a coil of wire suspended from a carrier, with the axis of the coil extending substantially horizontally, includes a pair of fixtures suitably mounted on tracks or ways for linear movement toward and away from each other in a direction longitudinally of the coil axis. Means such as fluid pressure cylinders are provided for relativel moving the fixtures between a clearance position relative to the carrier and an operative position relative to the coil, and a locking arrangement prevents separating movement of the fixtures in the operative position thereof. The carrier is aligned with the fixtures by suitable locating means provided thereon. A plurality of pressure pads 3,498,Z l2 Patented Mar. 1970 are mounted on one of the fixtures for engagement with circumferentially spaced areas on one end face of the coil, and these pressure pads are actuateable longitudinally of the coil axis toward the other fixture to compact the coil between the pressure pads and other fixture in condition for the application of bands to the coil by banding devices on the banding fixture.

Preferably the coil is cradled from below prior to and during the compacting operation to at least partially remove the weight of the coil from the carrier, eliminating sag and permitting optimum arrangement of the coil strands when compacted.

The locking device is capable of locating the fixtures and preventing separating movement thereof within a range of operative positions thereby enabling coils of various lengths to be accommodated between the fixtures, and in each of these operative positions the fixtures have an arranging and positioning action upon a coil. The compacting action is mainly a function of the movement of the pressure pads which takes place after the fixtures have been brought to operative position and locked therein. Thus the arranging and compacting actions are, in a sense, independent of the length of the coil and may be closely regulated as desired. The locking device preferably consists of a mandrel secured to one of the fixtures and movable relative thereto, the mandrel being projected through the center of an annular coil and an aperture in the other fixture to which the mandrel is then releaseably secured by suitable locking elements to,

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The drawings comprise the following views:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic plan view of the compacting and handing apparatus mounted at a station along the path of travel of an overhead power and free conveyor;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged elevation of the structure of FIGURE 1, taken as indicated by the line 22, and showing a carrier of the conveyor stopped at the compacting and handing station;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse elevation showing the compacting and handing apparatus in the clearance position thereof:

FIGURE 4 is a transverse elevation on an enlarged scale, taken partly in section as indicated by the line 44 of FIGURE 2, and showing the compacting and banding apparatus in the operative position thereof;

FIGURE 5 is an end elevation of the apparatus taken as indicated by the line 55 of FIGURE 4; and,

FIGURE 6 is a sectional elevation taken on the line 66 of FIGURE 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In FIGURES 1, 2 and 3, a coil 10 to be compacted and handed is supported on the horizontal portion 12 of a hook 13 which forms parts of a carrier 14 of an overhead power and free conveyor of conventional construction, the coil being suspended by the hook 13 with the coil axis extending substantially horizontally and transversely to the direction of conveyor travel, indicated by the arrows 15.

The conveyor includes a track 16 for trolleys 17 which support an endless driven chain 18 equipped with pushers 20; and, a load supporting track 22 for the front and rear trolleys 23 and 24 of the carrier 14. The front trolley 23 is equipped with a releasable driving dog 26 which is normally in an extended position for engagement by the pusher 20. However, in FIGURE 2, the driving dog 26 has been engaged and depressed by a stop plate 28 and the carrier has been stopped by abutment between the stop plate and a hold back dog 30 on the front trolley 23. An anti-backup pawl 32 acts with the stop plate in establishing the position of the carrier at the compacting and banding apparatus 34. The construction and operation of a stop of this type is more fully described in US. Patent 3,229,645.

The compacting and handing apparatus includes a pair of fixtures 36 and 38 which for convenience will be referred to as a compacting fixture and a banding fixture, and the fixtures are provided with wheeled bases 40 and 42 mounted for movement on a pair of rails 44 in a direction longitudinally of the axis of the coil 10.

In FIGURE 3 the fixtures are shown in a clearance position relative to the carrier hook 13 and are moveable from this position to the operative position relative to the coil, illustrated in FIGURE 4, by suitable means such as the fluid pressure actuating cylinder 46 acting on the compacting fixture 36 and the fluid pressure actuating cylinder 48 acting on the banding fixture 38.

Referring to FIGURES 3, 4 and 6, the banding fixture 38 includes a relatively thick face plate 50, a pair of parallel brace plates 51 and 52 secured and extending perpendicular to the face plate 50 on either side of the vertical centerline thereof, and a base member 54 attached to the plates 50-52. A mandrel 56 is slidably mounted in a bearing 57 in the face plate 50, and is moveable from a retracted position shown in FIGURE 3 to an extended position shown in FIGURE 4 by a pair of fluid pressure cylinders 58 and 59 supported on trunnions 60 and 61 between the pair of brace plates 51 and 52, the rod of each of the cylinders being secured to a cross head 62 attached to the mandrel 56. The free end 64 of the mandrel is provided with pairs of locking elements 66 arranged at spaced intervals along a portion of the length of the mandrel, inwardly from the end 64 thereof. Three openings 68, 69 and 70 are cut in the face plate 50 and are arranged symmetrically about the center of the mandrel 56, as best shown in FIGURE 6. A banding head 72 of conventional construction, is mounted on the rear side 73 of the face plate in registry With each of the openings 6870.

Referring to FIGURES 3, 4 and 5, the compacting fixture 36 is of composite construction and includes a pair of suitably interconnected front and rear plates 74 and 75 with a centrally located sleeve 76 extending between them. A locking device or collar 78 provided with locking lugs 79 is rotatably mounted in the sleeve 76, the collar having an outer flange 80 with an arm 81 (FIGURE to which one end of an actuating cylinder assembly 82 is connected. The other end of the actuating cylinder assembly 82 is secured to a bracket 83 carried by the rear plate 75. Actuation of the cylinder assembly 82 rotates the flange 80 and collar 78 in a clockwise direction from the position shown in FIGURE 5 to place the locking projections 79 on the collar into overlapping relation with a pair of locking elements 66 of the mandrel, as shown in FIGURE 4.

Three pressure pad units 86, 87 and 88 (FIGURE 5) are mounted on the plates 74 and 75 in a symmetrically spaced relation about the center of the sleeve 76. Each of these units, as shown in FIGURE 4, includes a pressure pad 90 secured to a pair of guide rods 91 slidably supported on the plates 74 and 75 and a fluid pressure cylinder assembly 92 mounted between the pressure pad 90 and the rear plate 75 so that when the cylinder is actuated, the pressure pad 90 will be moved away from the front plate 74w As best shown in FIGURES 5 and 6, notches 94 and 95 extend downwardly from the upper edge of each of the compacting and handing fixtures, in vertical alignment with the center of the mandrel, and form a means for locating the carrier hook 13 in alignment with the fixtures and the compacting and banding elements thereof.

During the compacting and handing operation the coil 10 is at least partially supported from below by cradling means which in the construction shown comprise a pair of bars 96 (FIGURES 4, 5 and 6). Each bar 96 is seecured at one end to the rod 97 of an actuating cylinder 98 carried by the base plate 54 of the banding fixture 38 and extends through an aperture 99 (FIGURE 6) in the face plate 50 of the fixture and through a similar aperture 100 (FIGURE 5) in the plates of the compacting fixture 36, this fixture being equipped with an actuating cylinder assembly 101 carrying a roller 102 for supporting the bar 96.

Preferably the apparatus is equipped with conventional control elements (not shown), which may be interlocked with the arrival of a carrier 14 at the compacting and bending station, to control the operation of the apparatus in the following sequence:

1) From the clearance position of the compacting and banding heads 36 and 38 shown in FIGURE 3, the carriages 40 and 42 are moved together by actuation of the cylinders 46 and 48, and the mandrel 56 is extended by actuation of the cylinders 58 and 59. The extent of these movements is regulated in accordance with the width of the coil 10 being handled so that the coil is engaged between the face plate 50 of the banding fixture 38 and the pressure pads 90 of the compacting fixture 36 with a rearranging rather than a pressure applying or compacting action;

(2) The locking means are engaged by actuating the cylinder 82 to prevent separating movement of the fixtures 36 and 38;

(3) The cradling bars 96 are raised by the actuating cylinders 98 and 101 to remove the weight of the coil 10 from the hook portion 12, as shown in FIGURE 4, or to at least partially support the weight of the coil from below, thereby producing a further rearrangement and reshaping of the coil;

(4) Compacting of the coil is accomplished by energizing the actuating cylinders 92 of the pressure pads 90;

(5) The banding heads 72 are operated while pressure is applied to the coil by the pressure pads 90;

(6) The pressure pads 90 are retracted when the banding operation is complete;

(7) The cradling bars 96 are lowered, transferring the weight of the banded coil back to the hook 13;

(8) The locking elements are released by rotating the collar 78; and

(9) The carriages 40 and 42 are returned to their clearance positions as the mandrel 56 is retracted into the face plate 50 of the banding fixture 38, and the stop plate 28 may be retracted in response to the carriages reaching their clearance positions.

The apparatus not only permits the compacting and handing operation to be performed without removing the coil 10 from the conveyor, but also permits the compacting and banding of coils having a range of widths. For any width of coil within this range, the apparatus provides a prearrangement of the coil strands prior to compacting, and affords individual control over the prearranging and compacting functions. The extent of relative movement between the carriages 40 and 42 of the compacting and banding fixtures, the movement of the mandrel 56 relatives to the banding fixture 38, the movement of the cradling bars 96 relative to the fixtures and the coil 10, and the movement of the pressure pads 90 relative to the compacting fixture 36 together with the amount of pressure applied to these pads, are all factors which can readily be regulated to obtain the desired arranging and con1- pacting action on the coil prior to the application of bands thereto.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for compacting and banding a coil of wire comprising the combinations of:

an overhead conveyorhaving a carrier for supporting the coil with the axis of the coil extending substantially horizontally;

a pair of fixtures;

means mounting the fixtures adjacent to the conveyor for linear movement of at least one of the fixtures relative to the other in a direction longitudinally of the coil axis;

locating means for aligning the carrier with the fixtures;

means for relatively moving the fixtures between a clearance position relative to the carrier and an operative position relative to the coil;

interengageable locking means carried by the fixtures for preventing separating movement of the fixtures in the operative position thereof;

a plurality of pressure pads, and means mounting the pressure pads on one of the fixtures for movement relative thereto and engagement with circumferentially spaced areas on one end face of the coil; and

means carried by the one fixture for moving the pressure pads longitudinally of the coil axis toward the other fixture to compact the coil between the pressure pads and other fixtures in condition for the application of bands to the coil.

2. Compacting and banding apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising cradling means for at least partially supporting the coil from below while a compacting force is applied to the coil by the pressure pads.

3. Coil compacting and banding means as claimed in claim 2 wherein the cradling means comprises a pair of bars mounted on one of the fixtures and supported for longitudinal movement on the other of the fixtures, the bars being positioned below the circumference of a coil and to either side of the location of the coil axis as established by the locating means, and actuating means carried by each of the fixtures for raising the bars vertically into engagement with the coil.

4. Compacting and handing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the locking means comprises a mandrel, means mounting the mandrel on one of the fixtures, an aperture in the other fixture receiving the mandrel in the operative position of the fixtures, and means for releasably securing the mandrel to the other fixture.

5. Compacting and banding apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein the means mounting the mandrel on one of the fixtures comprises a bearing on the one fixture in which the mandrel is slidably carried, and fiuid pressure actuating means connected between the mandrel and the one fixture for'moving the mandrel between an extended and a retracted position relative to the one fixture.

6. Compacting and banding apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein the means for releasably securing the mandrel to the other fixture comprises a series of locking elements provided at spaced intervals along at least a portion of the length of the mandrel, and a locking device on the other fixture engageable with a selected locking element on the mandrel.

7. Compacting and banding apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein the mandrel projects through the central portion of the coil in the operative position of the fixtures.

8. Compacting and banding apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the locating means comprises structure on at least one of the fixtures for limiting movement of the coil carrier during movement of the fixtures from the clearance position to the operative position thereof.

9. Coil compacting and banding apparatus as claimed in claim 8 wherein the locating means comprises a notch on each of the fixtures, the carrier being located between said notches when the fixtures are in their operative position.

10. Compacting and banding apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means mounting the pressure pads includes structure movably supporting each pressure pad independently of each other pressure pad, and wherein the means for moving the pressure pads includes a fluid pressure cylinder assembly for each pressure pad.

11. Compacting and banding apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the locking means includes a plurality of selectively engageable locking elements for preventing separating movement of the fixtures within a range of operative positions thereof to accommodate coils of varying axial lengths.

12. Compacting and banding apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the conveyor carrier includes 2. depending hook having a coil engaging portion extending transversely of the path of carrier travel, and wherein the fixtures are mounted on either side of the path of carrier travel for movement transversely thereof.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,883,925 4/1959 Pritchard et al. -12 XR 2,901,966 9/1959 Bocher 10012 2,920,555 l/l960 Sheriff 100-3 XR 2,926,598 3/1960 Dentzer et al l003 XR 2,930,313 3/1960 Bocher 100-12 XR 3,118,367 1/1964 Linoholm 10012 XR 3,129,658 4/1964 Valente 100l2 XR 3,195,444 7/1965 McLean l0O-12 XR 3,212,429 10/1965 Fay et al. 10012 XR 3,251,294 5/1966 Hill et al 10012 XR 3,352,228 11/1967 Hill 10012 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,049,294 1/ 1959 Germany. 1,026,388 4/ 1966 Great Britain.

BILLY J. WILHITE, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 100l2 

